Returning the Favor
by gypsywriter135
Summary: Leo's always missing things to help his brothers; maybe it's time one of them does it for him.


This...

Has been on my mind for a long time.

Raph highjacked it at the end. Was supposed to be just about Donny and Leo, but Raph wanted some action. Mikey was still trying to get over the last fic I wrote, so he was content to sit on the sidelines for this one.

Bah. I don't know how I feel about this...

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they are still not mine. If they were, Leo would have more bad days... P

**TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT**

Don looked skeptical.

"Are you, sure, Leo?" he asked, eyeing his brother up worriedly.

Leo nodded. "I'mb fine, Doddy. Really." He sneezed, then groaned softly, which brought upon a small coughing fit. "Just leabe be some meds and bI'll be fine."

Don heard Raph sigh impatiently from where he and Mikey were waiting at the front door. But he was still having doubts about leaving his sick brother home alone.

"I don't know…" he said hesitantly. "I mean, you'll be home alone. Master Splinter isn't even here… maybe-"

Leo smiled. "Doddy, go," he interrupted. "I'll be o- ok- oka- blahchoo!" he sniffed. "I'll be okay."

Don opened his mouth to say something, but Raph beat him to it.

"He said he was fine, Don!"

Mikey came up behind his brother. "Yeah!" he said. "Let's go! April and Casey are waiting!"

The brainy turtle was still a little hesitant. Raph groaned.

"Look, if there's a problem, he'll call. Right, Leo?" he looked his brother in his blood-shot eyes pointedly.

Leo nodded, then coughed.

"Okay…" Don said slowly, hefting his duffel bag onto his shoulder, still eyeing Leo. "But you swear you'll call if there's any change in your condition?"

Leo smiled tiredly. "I swear, Don. Bow go!"

Mikey let out an excited cry and made a dash to the door, disappearing down the sewers. Raph grabbed Don's arm and dragged him after their brother. He stared at Leo worriedly as they crossed the sewer.

"Hab a good timbe," Leo called out hoarsely, waving. He hefted the thick blanket up around his shoulders. He turned away as the door shut, and then all Don saw was the brick wall.

"Relax, bro," Mikey smiled as Don and Raph caught up to him. He slung an arm around Don's shoulders. "It's Leo. What is there to worry about?"

Don shrugged. "I just feel bad leaving him alone while we're out having fun…"

"This isn't like this is the first time," Raph grumbled, climbing the ladder and lifting the manhole up a little so that he could make sure that no one was watching. He hefted the lid up and climbed through, holding it for his brothers.

"Yeah, but the other times he wasn't sick…" Don grabbed Mikey's hand as his brother helped him out. Raph let the lid fall back into place.

Raph rolled his eyes as he flipped up onto a fire escape. Mikey and Don followed and they were quickly running across New York City to April's apartment.

"Will you just chill and stop being doctor for a few hours?" Raph growled as they reached their friend's home. They landed on her fire escape and knocked on the window. "He's fine. He promised to call if there was a problem. And you know he always keeps his promises."

Don opened his mouth, but was once again cut off. This time it was the opening of the window. April smiled at them.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted, stepping out of the way to allow them entry. When the three of them were safely inside, April shut the window and closed the blinds. She looked at them.

"Where's Leo?" she asked, confused.

Raph groaned and rolled his eyes, going into the kitchen to help Casey carry the rest of the snacks into the living room. Don glared at him and April looked confused. Mikey laughed and plopped down on the couch.

"He's at home," he said. April looked at him.

"He's got the flu," Don explained, sitting down on the arm of the couch next to his brother.

"Poor, Leo," April said.

"Will everyone please stop worrying about Leo, for shell's sake!" Raph growled as he came in the room carrying a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a bowl of chip in the other. He surrendered the popcorn to an overexcited Mikey and sat down next to him. Casey followed with several cans of soda and took a seat on the floor. April popped the movie in and sat next to him.

"I'm allowed to worry about my brother," Don snapped.

"Oh, my God!" Raph exclaimed. "It's _Leo_! He's twenty-three! He's home all the time by 'imself!"

"Guys!" Mikey whined. "The movie's starting!" He shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

Don and Raph glared at each other for a few moments, and then turned to watch to screen. But Don wasn't really paying attention.

It was true; Leo was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But still, there was something nagging at Don. It was something that Raph had said…

"_He's home all the time by himself…"_

_Even when we're out having fun and he's stuck home alone being the responsible one, bored out of his shell…_

"Or sick as a dog…" Don muttered quietly.

"_Will you just chill and stop being doctor for a few hours?"_

_And be a brother instead…_

Don remembered a time when he had been sick, back when they were just teenagers…

TMNT

_Don felt miserable. His head ached, he was hot, had the chills, and his throat was raw from all the coughing he was doing. His nosed was so stuffed, he couldn't breath unless it was through his mouth, which further irritated his poor throat._

"_How you feeling, bro?"_

_Don opened his eyes to see Leo standing before him, carrying a tray full of food._

_He groaned._

"_No food…" he choked out, rolling over._

_He felt his bed dip with the weight of his brother as he sat down and then there were soothing circles being rubbed on his shell._

"_You have to eat something, Don," Leo coaxed softly. "Get your strength up."_

_Don groaned again._

"_Come on. It's just soup and jello and some orange juice. Easy stuff."_

_Don was silent, and then slowly sat up. Leo smiled and handed him a spoon and a small bowl of chicken broth soup. Don looked at it, appetite completely gone, but took a small spoonful all the same. He carefully sipped it._

_He was surprised when he was able to keep it down, and ate about half the soup, a little jello, and had a few sips of the juice. He gave Leo a small smile and lay back down._

"_Where are Mikey and Raph?" he asked, getting drowsy now that his stomach was full._

"_Mikey went to a comic book convention, and Raph and Casey went to a hockey game. April's visiting her uncle and won't be back for a few days," Leo told him, answering his next question in the process._

_Don's eyes widened. "Didn't you have a martial arts show this weekend?"_

_Leo smiled and covered him up. "Don't worry about it," he said._

"_Yeah, but…" Don yawned, getting sleepier._

"_Trust me, Don. It's okay. My brother is more important than some martial arts show."_

_Don chuckled. "Since when did you start doctoring me?"_

"_I'm not being a doctor, Donny. Just a brother. Now get some sleep…"_

TMNT

Don got up and went to the window, opening it. He heard the movie pause and all eyes turn to him.

"Where are you going?" Raph asked.

"I'm going home," Don replied, half outside.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Don, for the last time-"

"I know," Don cut him off. "But Leo's always staying home being the responsible one when we're out having a good time. And the one time that he's able to come, he can't because he's sick. And whenever we're sick, he's always taking care of us. So now I'm going to do the same."

He closed the window and climbed to the rooftop and hurried home.

When he finally reached the lair, he quickly opened the door. The T.V. was on, but Leo was no where in sight.

"Wachoo!"

There was the sound of something breaking as it hit the floor.

"Aw, ban…"

Don quickly hurried to the kitchen, to see Leo, wrapped tightly in a blanket, kneeling on the floor, trying to clean up the spilled tea and the broken shards that now littered the floor. He coughed into his arm, and then he noticed Don. His eyes widened and he stood up shakily.

"Doddy? Is ebrything okay? Where's Raph and Bikey?"

Don smiled and carefully walked over to his brother. He put Leo's arm around his shoulders and helped over the mess.

"We're fine, Leo," Don chuckled, sitting his brother on the couch.

"Den by are you-"

"The movie was boring, Mikey kept commenting on everything that happened, and Casey was started snoring at the beginning."

Leo blinked.

"Just sit here and relax. I'll clean up the mess in the kitchen, and bring you a new cup of tea when I'm done."

Leo blinked again.

Don smiled and rubbed his brother's head affectionately as he stood. He went over to the kitchen and wiped up the mess, careful to get all of the glass from the floor; no need for one of them to cut their feet on it. Especially Leo. Don could only imagine being sick _and_ having your foot bandaged.

The purple-banded turtle was quick to make a new cup of tea. He made his way back to the couch, only to find Leo almost asleep, curled up into a small ball under the thick blanket. Don smiled and set the cup on the table next to the couch. He then sat down and took his brother's head in his lap. Leo opened a bleary, blood-shot eye.

"Doddy?"

"Hmm?"

"… Tanks…"

Don smiled. "Of course, big brother."

TMNT

Leo fell asleep pretty fast, and it was only about half an hour afterwards that Don heard the front door open.

"Donny? Leo?"

"Shh!" Don said, as quietly as he could, but loud enough that Mikey could hear him.

Mikey and Raph came into the living room. Leo was fast asleep in Don's lap, who was rubbing circles in his shell. The T.V. was on still, but the volume was very low.

"Everything okay?" Don asked.

Raph nodded, feeling Leo's head for a fever.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you still watching the movie?"

Raph pulled his hand away as he determined that the older turtle still had a slight fever.

"We thought about what you said," Mikey said, sitting down gently at the other end of the couch, so as not to wake the sleeping turtle. "And we decided that you were right. Leo shouldn't have to stay home alone, especially when he's this sick."

Don smiled.

"He's still got a fever, Don," Raph mumbled. "Can't you give him anything?"

Don nodded. "I can, but I don't want to wake him up. This is the first time he's slept this good since he got sick."

Raph grunted and leaned down, gently picking up his brother from Don's lap, the blanket falling to the ground.

"Raph…?" Leo asked sleepily, opening a bleary eye.

"Raph, what're you doing?!" Don hissed, eyes narrowed.

"You'll probably be more comfortable in your own bed, bro," Raph said, hefting Leo bridal style.

"Oh… but what about Doddy? But ib he… he…" Leo coughed, then shivered in Raph's arms. "Raph… I'mb cold…"

Raph reached the top of the steps and made his way to his brother's room, where he gently lay him down in his own bed. Leo curled up into another ball, and Raph covered him up with the sheets and heavy blue comforter.

"Go back to sleep, bro," Raph told him, but it was not needed; Leo was already out. He turned to Don and Mikey, who were standing in the doorway. "You know, he may look skinny, but man, is he heavy!"

Mikey laughed and Don let out a slightly amused chuckle. Raph smirked and made his way over to them, shutting the door after him.

Mikey smiled at them. "Well, I'm going to bed," he said, stretching. He flashed them another smile, and made his way to his room.

Don turned to Raph. "So what made you change your mind?"

The red-banded turtle scowled. "What makes you think I changed my mind?"

"Well, you came home. In the middle of a movie night. Where some sort of alcoholic beverage was bound to be served."

"Mikey wouldn't shut up until I agreed to come."

"Yeah, 'cause that's why you carried him all the way up to his room when he was perfectly fine on the couch."

Raph snorted and turned away, heading to his own room. "Whatever you say, brainiac."

Don smiled.

That night, Leo's fever broke. When Don checked in on him in the morning, he was awake, and feeling a bit better.

When he asked Don about the night before, the younger turtle just smiled.

"That's what brothers do," he replied. "It's what you do all the time. Just trying to return the favor."

**TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT**

Grr...

This is just... well, I like it, but I don't...

It has a lot of focus on Leo and brotherly moments, but he's not in it that much... And him being sick is just... well, it's right up my alley...

I don't know... it just feels lacking...

So review? Please? I could really use some reviews on this...

*looks hopeful*


End file.
